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OPINION

Pa. House must pass felony DUI bill (letter)

Letter
Published 1:33 p.m. ET Sept. 28, 2018

CLOSE

Pa. parents speak about their losses. They seek to strengthen the DUI laws.

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Paul and Elaine Miller of Seven Valleys lost their 45-year-old son, Rodney, Loganville's fire chief, in 2013. He was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash while he was working an earlier DUI crash. The driver who struck Rodney was a repeat DUI offender.(Photo11: Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record)Buy Photo

With only a few session days remaining prior to the upcoming election, we need our members in the state House to prioritize and pass Senate Bill 961 which increases penalties for repeat DUI offenders who injure and kill hundreds of loved ones every year across the state of PA.

Senate Bill 961 is currently in the House Judiciary Committee, after passing in the Senate in April 2018. This legislation is a common-sense bill that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate by a vote of 45-4 and would increase penalties to repeat DUI offenders who continue to break DUI-related laws.

This legislation, if passed, would create a felony penalty for 3rd and 4th-time offenders, based on their blood-alcohol content (BAC). It should be noted that Pa. is one of only 4 states that does not treat repeat DUI offenses as a felony, regardless of the number of prior DUI convictions. In addition, this bill would increase penalties for Homicide by Vehicle while DUI and increase penalties for driving while under a DUI-related license suspension.

Repeat DUI offenders are responsible for approximately 40% of all DUI-related fatalities. In 2016, over 10,000 individuals were convicted of their second or subsequent DUI. And if that doesn’t give you pause, think about an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 individuals with DUI convictions continuing to drive on a suspended license – and they’re driving on the same roadways as you and me.

Pennsylvania is consistently ranked as one of the most lenient states for DUI laws. That includes ranking as the 5th-most lenient state for criminal DUI penalties, as well as the most lenient state for driving-under-suspension penalties. We can – and must do better.

Pennsylvania Parents Against Impaired Driving (PAPAID) is on the forefront of impaired driving advocacy. PA PAID is a grass-roots organization of Parents across Pennsylvania who have lost children to impaired drivers. Our members’ children have all paid the ultimate price of ineffective DUI/DUID laws in our state. Our goal is preventing additional senseless deaths and injuries by improving Pennsylvania’s ineffective DUI and DUID laws through legislation like SB 961.